PO Box Honolulu, Hawaii

by Chuck Antone, Jr

  “Don’t worry, Larry. Kat and I won’t contact her, or anyone else involved in the case. That way no one will ask us any questions, and we won’t have to give out any answers.”

  We waved our goodbyes and headed out the door toward our car and the Paradise Hotel.

  We knew that when we told Detective Chen that Lance Mann said that Doskie was the last name of the father of our suspect, Anita Sinclair, he would agree with us that we had found our killer.

  Kat and I found it hard to believe that the murderer was our ex-client. We had innocently given her all the information she wanted: names and pictures of the two people who were blackmailing her. We even told her what hotel they were staying in. We figured out that the third person she kept wanting us to find was a wild goose chase, to take our minds off her and her first son, Nick Lang.

  But we found it comforting that our other suspects were innocent, especially Nadia’s fiancé, Nick Lang. Also, it was nice to know that Nick’s birth-father, Lance Mann, and his adoptive mother, Susannah, were also no longer suspects.

  Just as soon as we got back to our hotel we were going to get in touch with Nick Lang, for purely social reasons, of course. Even though Nick had been a suspect, he had become a friend, and we were hoping Nadia would be able to join us for a few days. We were also hoping that no questions would be asked, and if there were, we would somehow avoid giving an answer.

  We wanted to get better acquainted with Nick, and we were looking forward to talking with him and Nadia as friends, and no longer looking for clues or slip-ups, while wondering if one of them could be our murderer.

  We were also wondering how Nick Lang would react when he found out his birth-mother was the murderer we had been looking for.

  When we arrived at the hotel, Pualani came rushing over. “There’s a lady who has phoned several times trying to get a hold of the two of you. She’s asked many questions, including wanting to know the room number of Mr. Lang and Mr. Mann. She said it was urgent that she speaks to one of you at once. When I told her you were away from the hotel, she got angry and hung up the phone.”

  Kat asked if she left a forwarding address, or a telephone number so we could call her, or did she say where she was calling from?

  “No need. She was calling on her room phone. She’s staying at this hotel.”

  Kat said, “What room is she in, and what’s her name?”

  “When she checked in she insisted on a room next to the two of you. Neither side was available so I gave her the room directly across from yours. I’m so sorry, but she was so belligerent that I was afraid she would make a scene, and if I said none of these rooms were available, and if she found out the room across from you was empty, I’m sure she would have caused a big commotion. She was really angry. I couldn’t see her eyes because of the big hat she wore, and very big dark glasses. But if I could have seen them, I’m sure they would have been fuming and looking like she would be able to kill someone … especially me.”

  Tears came to Pualani’s eyes, and we could tell she was stressed out by the ordeal, feeling like her life was in danger.

  I asked her what the lady’s name was, but before she could answer, I already knew who it was going to be.

  Checking her emotions, Pualani said, “A Mrs. Anita Sinclair.”

  Chapter 60

  I called our friend, Detective Larry Chen, and gave him the news. His advice was to stay away from Anita Sinclair. He said he would arrive at the hotel as soon as possible.

  “She must be there for a reason, and asking for Mann and his son Nick’s whereabouts could mean she’s up to something, maybe even another murder. I guess it’s Lance Mann she’s after. I don’t think she would want to murder her firstborn son, no matter if he’s illegitimate or not. She probably blames Mann for the misery she’s been through these past thirty years.”

  He said he was sure Sinclair wouldn’t try anything with other witnesses around. She would most likely wait until Mann was alone.

  “As I said, I'll be there as soon as I can. Stay safe, maybe even take a walk away from the hotel. It’s best you don’t come in contact with her just yet. If you do, you never know what will happen, being in the state she’s in. And that state is probably murder! Tell Pualani to phone Nick and Lance, and tell them to stay in their rooms and not answer the door. She can say there’s a security alert, but no more. And I’ll see you both in the little chapel.”

  Chen called us when he was about fifteen minutes from our hotel. We met him by the chapel and after discussing our case inside, we walked Larry back to his car, but just before we got there, we heard sirens and saw the staff and guests gathering in the lobby. I looked around and saw what looked like mass confusion. All I could say was, “I wonder what’s up?”

  As we got closer to the lobby area, we could hear more sirens, and watched an ambulance drive away. And then we saw more police cars and more police in uniform.

  When Detective Chen was recognized as one on the force, a policeman came over.

  “What’s happened? Why all the commotion?” Chen asked the officer.

  “There’s been another shooting. We’re blocking off the area. An ambulance just took away two victims.”

  “Who was it, and do you know who the shooter is?”

  “Sorry, no to both of those questions. Like I said, all I know is that an ambulance took two victims to the King Hospital.”

  Chapter 61

  We followed Chen to the hospital, praying that Lance Mann and Nick Lang, if it was them, would pull through.

  Arriving at the hospital we checked the room number, but before we could enter, the doctor was just coming out of one of the victim’s room.

  He said he was sorry to tell us that one of the patients had died on the way to the hospital. “We need someone to identify the body. Did one of you, or both of you know the two victims who were brought in from the shooting at the hotel?”

  Chen identified himself, and said, “Yes, most likely we know them. Can we see the patient who’s still alive?”

  “Sorry, but not yet. He’s unconscious, and we’re not through attending to his needs.”

  Chen and I took the elevator down to the hospital morgue. Kat waited upstairs and said if there was any change to Mann or Lang, she would go in and encourage the one who was still alive.

  We explained to the attendant who we were, followed him, and waited for him to roll out the body from the vault. We waited. I wasn’t sure who I was hoping it would be. Probably not Nick Lang, Nadia’s fiancé, as I didn’t have the heart to tell her that he had been killed by his birth-mother.

  As the cover of the face of the deceased was removed, we were asked, “Can either of you identify the body?”

  We both nodded and together said, “Yes.”

  After filling out a form of who the body was, we went back upstairs, both of us in deep thought of who was still alive in the hospital room. We told Kat who we had identified. The doctor said we could go into the room, but only for a little while.

  It was Lance Mann. He was now coherent and a slight smile came over his face as we walked into his room.

  “Hi Lance, the doctor said we can ask you a few questions, if it’s okay with you. How are you feeling?”

  “Not sure, but I think okay, considering the circumstances. My main concern now is how my son, Nick, is doing.”

  “The doctor said you’ve asked him and his nurses the same question many times since you came out of your coma. He said to tell you the answer is still the same … they don’t know.”

  Chen asked, “Mr. Mann, do you feel well enough to tell us what happened?”

  “I may have to take a breath and pause every once in a while, but I can do my best. It’s not really a very long story. Everything happened so fast. Parts of it are still a blur.”

  “Okay, we’ll listen and try not to make any interruptions, but at any point, if you get too tired, just say so.”

  Mann nodded and took a deep breath. He began to relate what
he could remember that took place just before he was shot.

  “Pualani phoned us and told us to stay in our rooms. I was with Nick at the time and was a little tired and told him I wanted to take a short nap. Nick said he was going down to the lobby to ask Pualani what the problem was, and have a drink in the bar. He reminded me that in no circumstances should I open the door. I assured him I’d keep the door locked and wouldn’t open it until I heard his voice, after knocking on my door with four light taps.

  “He left, but I couldn’t sleep. My stomach wasn’t feeling so good, so I called room service for a bowl of chicken soup and a ginger ale. Ten minutes later I heard a knock on the door. I asked who it was and a lady’s voice said, ‘Room Service.’

  “As I started to open the door I heard what I thought was Nick’s voice from down the hall, shouting, ‘Dad, don’t open the door.’ Then I heard a shot and I fell to the ground. I guess I was pretty lucky. The bullet went into the fatty part of my upper arm and out. When I looked up I saw Nick trying to take the gun away from Anita Sinclair. I guess I passed out. The doctor said that was probably my body reacting to the trauma that had just happened. But just before I passed out, I heard another shot.

  “That’s all that I remember. Please tell me if Nick is here in the hospital and if so, when can I see him? When I was in the ambulance I know there was another person on the gurney next to me. It must have been Nick. Please tell me he’s okay.”

  I said, “We don’t know where Nick is, so please believe me when I tell you we don’t know his whereabouts. All we know for sure is that Anita Sinclair’s body is downstairs in the hospital morgue.”

  Chapter 62

  We could tell Lance Mann was getting tired, so we said our goodbyes. Just before we got to the door I turned on my cell phone and it rang, and identified Nick Lang as the caller. I looked back at Mann. His eyes were closed. Not wanting to disturb him, we left his room quietly.

  “Hi Nick, can you hold on for a minute or two?”

  “Yes, but before you put me on hold, tell me, what do you know about my dad?”

  “He’s in the hospital, but recovering nicely. We just left his room. Hold on a couple of minutes and I’ll tell you more.”

  All three of us sat in Larry Chen’s car. I put the loudspeaker on and said, “Go ahead, Nick, I have you on the speaker phone. Kat and Detective Chen are here with me. Are you all right?”

  “Yes, I’m fine now. I’ve been praying for my dad. Thanks for the good news that he’s recovering. I’ve been so worried about him and have tried to call you a few times, but got no answer.”

  “So sorry about that. I had my cell phone off for a while. I wasn’t sure about the hospital rules. I’d just put in back on when you called.”

  “How about my birth-mother, Anita Sinclair? Is she there at the hospital too?”

  “Not good news about her. We just identified her body at the morgue. Can you tell us what happened? Your dad filled us in with what he was able to remember.”

  Chen identified himself and spoke up. “We’d like to hear your side also.”

  “Well, I’m sure my father told you that he wanted to take a nap and that I went down to the lobby. Pualani wasn’t there, but I thought I’d be safe enough in the bar. Dad promised me he wouldn’t open the door for anyone but me. But I guess he forgot about his promise. After a while I didn’t feel comfortable leaving him alone, Detective Chen. So about twenty minutes after leaving my dad alone, I headed back to his room.

  “When I got off the elevator I saw the room service worker wheeling the tray down the hall. The hallway was long and it looked like he stopped in front of Dad’s room. That’s when I saw a woman in a large floppy hat giving the server some money. She waited until he left and then knocked on the door. I wasn’t going to take any chances, so I started to run down the hall shouting, ‘DAD, DON’T OPEN THE DOOR!’ I guess he didn’t hear me because as I got closer I saw the door opening. By this time I was pretty close, but not close enough. I heard the quiet shot. I leaped for her and saw my dad fall to the floor. During my struggle with the woman, who by now I had figured out was my birth-mother, the gun went off again. I thought at first that maybe I had been the one shot. Then I saw her fall to the floor. I panicked. A woman came out of her room. I shouted at her to call 911 and ran to get some help. The elevator took too long, so I started down the emergency stairwell. I slipped and fell, hitting my head. That’s all I remember. When I woke up everything was quiet at the hotel. That’s when I tried to call you, Kit. When you didn’t answer I went to see the doctor on call at the hotel and told him my story about falling. He put in four stitches, bandaged me up and said I should be back to normal in a few days. Since my mom had flown back to Oahu yesterday, I didn’t want to call her until I found out about Dad. Are you sure he’s okay?”

  Kat said, “Yes, the doctor says he’ll be fine. You can go see him if you want.”

  “Of course, I want to. What hospital is he in?”

  I gave him the information and told him his dad was also worried about him. And when he walked through the door of his dad’s room with a big smile on his face, I was sure his father would smile back. And we knew it would help his dad to recuperate that much sooner.

  Kat and I were happy that Nick and his father, Lance Mann, were innocent. We were a little sad that Anita Sinclair turned out to be the killer. But we were very happy for Nadia, our dear friend.

  We thought we would stay a few more days on Oahu and get more acquainted with Nick and his family. We did, and soon realized that Nadia’s words, that we would love Nick almost as much as she did, and that his folks were great people, were very true.

  We had a great time and were so happy that after all those years with no contact with Nadia, we had met her again, and were able to renew our friendship.

  Epilogue

  The case was solved and our work was done. It was time to return to our home, visit our family and friends, and wait to see what our next case would be.

  It was still hard for us to realize that the person who hired us was the murderer. We will never know if that was her plan all along, to get us to find the blackmailers and give her the information she wanted, and then do the killings herself.

  We returned to Hawaii for two weddings the following year. Nick and Nadia’s was first. All of our old gang were there. You probably remember them from our adventure on Paul’s Island. It was great seeing Steve, Nat, Paul and Erica, and of course, Nadia. We had a great time.

  You also may remember that Paul and Erica got married, and are both lawyers. They told us they just bought a space in the same building where our offices are. We’d been hoping that would happen for a long time. We thought we could even work on some cases together in the future.

  The next wedding was just about six months later, for Larry Chen and Leilani. As already agreed, I was best man, and Kat was in charge of the reception. She did a great job. It was strictly Hawaiian attire. Very colorful, no shoes and much aloha was present. And lots of fun was had by all who attended. To our great surprise, Mehana and Kalani were also there. It seems that Mehana is a cousin of Leilani and Pualani’s. Small world, isn’t it? Larry and Leilani promised to come to California for their first wedding anniversary and stay with us.

  After our return, we had some small cases to work on, but nothing big. Then one day out of the blue we received a phone call from Maria and Jason. They were the couple from Texas who were on our adventure that you might have read about, called High Seas Murder. Maria was the one with the beautiful necklace valued over three million dollars that was stolen, and led to murder. She owns one of the richest cattle ranches in Texas.

  She said that at the end of next year she was taking a cruise through the Panama Canal, to celebrate their fifteenth wedding anniversary. She invited all of us who had traveled the Mediterranean together, and who sat at Table 9, to be her guests on that cruise, all expenses paid. You also may remember all of them. They were a great group of people and we had g
rown very close during the murder investigation.

  Maria was also inviting Inspector Rashan and his wife. He was the one in charge of the investigation and he also had become a good friend to all us at Table 9. Maria promised we would all have a great time and said, “How can anyone refuse a free cruise through the Panama Canal?”

  We told her we would love to go and see everyone again, and that it sounded like much fun. But in just a few weeks we were expecting to be proud parents of twin girls, who we had already named Molly and Holly.

  Maria said to bring them along. Through her calculations, the twins would be one and a half years old by the time of the sailing. She would get us a great room for all four of us. Plus she would bring the best nanny along who she knew well to watch them during the day. The nanny was her housekeeper maid who had worked for her many years. Her name was Donna, and to her, it would be a great vacation.

  She also mentioned that Donna loved children, especially twin girls! And with that, out came one of her hearty laughs. It brought back many good memories. Or, she said, we could bring our own nanny and she would also pay for those expenses. She said she very much wanted us to be there to help celebrate this special time with them.

  We couldn’t say no, knowing that our mothers would love to go and babysit for us, but we wouldn’t expect Maria to pay for them. That would be on us.

  We went, had a great time and of course got involved in murder and intrigue.

  I am already thinking of a name for our next adventure for all of you to read. Maybe something like…

  Conspiracy at Table Nine… or even Murder at Table Nine.

  I’ll let you know all about it, and you too can be part of our next journey. What we thought would be a fun vacation and much sightseeing, turned out to be another mystery of murder on the high seas!